1. Field of the Invention
My invention relates to a toothbrush and, more particularly, to a toothbrush which dispenses toothpaste directly onto the bristles from an attached toothpaste container.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of toothbrushes of the general type which dispense toothpaste from an attached container, through the toothbrush, and then directly onto the bristles is well known in the art. Examples of such prior art toothbrushes are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 818,000; 1,518,341; 1,768,301; 2,259,928; 2,536,968; 2,743,042; 2,820,979; 3,227,165; 3,712,747; 4,124,316; and 4,221,492; German Auslegeschrift No. 1178036; and French Pat. No. 456621. Most of these arrangements are very complicated and require that a specific handle be built into the toothbrush to accommodate a tube of toothpaste. Some have special toothpaste containers that are used in connection therewith. Perhaps the most serious problem with many of the prior art devices is that the opening which dispenses the toothpaste into the bristles of the brush remains open and, thus, the toothpaste remaining within the device can easily become contaminated or will become solidified due to exposure to the air.
However, it is known in the prior art that the opening of an internal passageway in the vicinity of the bristles can be closed off. See, for example, the arrangements shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 818,000; 1,518,341; 4,124,316; and 4,221,492. The arrangements shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,124,316 and 4,221,492 are totally unsatisfactory due to the complexity of the closure device and the fact that the closure device is completely built within the toothbrush. Such a device can easily become clogged due to the nature of the toothpaste and it is rather difficult to clean such a device. The pin arrangement shown in U.S. Pat. No. 818,000 for closing off the opening into the bristles is rather inconvenient to use. The slide closure arrangement shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,518,341 cannot be operated with one hand, is rather complicated to build, and is not as easy to clean or to manufacture as is desirable.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a toothbrush which can be mounted onto a toothpaste container and dispense the toothpaste directly onto the bristles of the toothbrush.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a toothbrush in which the opening into the bristle area is positively and securely closed off when not in use so that the toothpaste does not become contaminated or exposed to the air.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a toothbrush which is easy and inexpensive to manufacture, easy to use, and which has a minimum number of moving parts.